Virat Kohli fined 25 percent match fee for breaching ICC code of conduct

The incident which led to the Kohli’s reprimand occurred in the 25th over of South Africa’s second innings. This was after rain had delayed play for some time but the wet outfield remained a cause of concern for the Indian skipper. Kohli continued to complain to umpire Michael Gough about the ball being affected by a damp outfield following a rain delay, before throwing the ball into the ground in an aggressive manner.

“After the day’s play, Kohli pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” the statement added.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Michael Gough and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth umpire Allahudien Palekar.

Meanwhile, Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. However, this is not the first time that Kohli has been hauled up for a similar offence. A couple of years ago, in the Asia Cup, Kohli was fined 30 percent of his match-fee after showing dissent to the umpire for declaring him out.